Washing Sand For Corries!

[maisy12345]

Hi ,i`m putting sand in my tank today for my corries,it`s premium sand from pets at home ,what do i wash it with ,will tap water with conditioner added be alright? As when i do the water change i don`t think that will be enough to rinse it out with?

 

[fluttermoth]

Do the washing in straight tap water; it needs a lot of washing! Once it's done; do it again, lol; really; it's much better to be washing it in your bucket than put it in the tank and realise it needs more!

Then once it's done, fill your bucket up with water that's slightly warmer than your tank (sand is very cold and needs warming up) and add your dechlorinator

 

[maisy12345]

Thanks Fluttermoth

 

[fluttermoth]

You're welcome; you never know, perhaps your sand won't need as much washing as the Argos playsand did!

Not that I minded too much; I had a hot sunny day, an outside tap and my 6 year old to help

 

[minnnt]

I used play sand and i half filled a bucket with it then ran the outside tap into the bucket until the water ran clear. The water was still extremely cloudy though after i added it so don't be alarmed if your water is cloudy when you have filled the tank. I gave the water a couple of hours then ran the filter which helped settle the tank. You will have to rinse your filter media (In the old tank water) to remove any sand etc. Also rinse your filters propeller to try and remove any sand so it don't damage the internal workings.

Good luck!

 

[maisy12345]

Thanks for that,do i have to wash my filter out though ,it`s only been set up for five weeks?

 

[StandbySetting]

Just place some filter wool into the filter at the first stage of filtration, before the water reaches any of the other sponges, it'll collect the silt and then you can remove it.

 

[fluttermoth]

If the sand makes your water cloudy, you'll need to rinse the sand out of your filter.

I'd leave the filter off for an hour or two until the sand settles, but if you've washed it properly it shouldn't make your tank cloudy anyway.

My playsand had a lot of lighter particles in it that would have clouded the tank if I hadn't been really thorough in tipping them away. When you pour the dirty water off, you probably find some of the sand is floating or swirling about; pour all that away until your left with only the sand that's sunk right under the water.

Hope that makes sense; it's much easier to do than to describe!

 

[maisy12345]

Thanks Fluttermoth,as don`t fancy cleaning filter as my tank has just cleared after 4 weeks,and it`s only been set up for 5.
I`m also still doing my fish-in cycle[given wrong advice at pet shop] so am still doing 50 percent daily water changes to keep my ammonia in check ,only when it`s 0.25 or over though

 

[maisy12345]

Thanks Standby setting,much appreciated

 

[minnnt]

Your filter will ingest the sand particles if you don't rinse the media which could cause damage to the motor and propellers. Why don't you want to rinse the media?

I left my filter off for 5 hours and it didn't settle. Put it on and the water started to clear with in an hour and by the morning it was crystal clear again. Gave the media a.quick rinse later on in some of the old tank water and everything is fine.

My sand WAS rinsed properly, the water was very clear running out of the bucket, it was running for at least 15 minutes per bucket.

 

[fluttermoth]

What kind of sand did you use, minnt? Maybe it was lighter than mine and that's why it clouded the tank?

I'm guessing maisy is just cautious about touching the filter, she is in a fish-in cycle; that would make you nervous I should think.

Filter wool is a great idea.

 

[maisy12345]

Hi Minnnt,bit nervous about doing anything to filter at moment, as only been running for 5 weeks and the tank has only been clear for a week after several blooms,also i`m new to this hobby ,but i will if the water gets cloudy,thanks for the advice

Thanks Fluttermoth,i`ll get some filter wool ,do you just put it in with the sponges alredy there?

 

[StandbySetting]

Place the filter wool in front of the other sponges, so that they're nearest the intake of the filter, the water coming in should hit the wool first and then the other sponges.

 

[minnnt]

Sorry, i didn't mean to sound rude. I used the play sand from Argos as i'm tight. It was £2.98 for 15kg. It's the best thing i have ever done. Loads better than the course gravel i had in there before.

The only reason i suggested rinsing the media and washing the sand is because i have previously ruined a filter by not doing this soon enough. Would hate for this to happen to you. The wool is a very good idea and will certainly remember it for future substrate changes.

If you're in the middle of a fish in cycle then why are you just adding sand? Have you decided to change? If you are changing from gravel to sand then the water will become cloudy and filthy anyway. Also if you rinse your filter media in old tank water it won't harm the bacteria that you have built up. If you're close to nottinghamshire then you could happily have some of my mature media.